 The Inner Circle is a coven of the nine most magically talented witches, whom Thea Harman calls "the witch geniuses, the prodigies and the sages, the far-seers, the teachers, the policy-makers" in "Spellbinder".The most important of these are the triad of the Maiden, Mother, and Crone, positions which during the events of the books are held respectively by Aradia, The Maiden; Cybele, The Mother; and Grandma Harman, The Crone.All witches are answerable to the Inner Circle before the Night World council, although an association probably exists between them, but this isn't specified.